Trust your gut, it'll never lie like the others...

Coat: Warehouse//Dress (worn as top) c/o Bank Fashion*//Skirt: H&M//Shoes: New Look

Coat: vintage//Dress: c/o Bank Fashion*// Shoes: Topshop// Necklace: Next 

photos by Mae Reddaway

November has crept up on me this year. 2013 has flown by and honestly, I can't wait for 2014. A year of sadness and bad memories has to make way for bigger, better and brighter things. All I can do is apologize for my absence and blame third year studies on  my lack of blogging. I'm already working late into the night, hence my post right now, but unfortunately the pile of essays, readings and analyses is never ending. 

Anyhow, the lovely people at Bank fashion decided to surprise me with a couple of pieces from their new ranges to give my little blog a bit of a boost and to lift my mood - believe me it worked! These gorgeous new shift dresses have been a hit with all my friends and I've not had them off since I received them. The cut flatters every shape, the patterns are bang on trend and the quality is good. Easy to dress up or down (or even transform into a top as my first pictures show), these dresses have become a bit of a wardrobe staple for me. 

Prints are still a big tick on the trend[ometer this Autumn/Winter. To add a little interest to your outfits, move away from the typical burgundies, navies and reds we see at this time of year and add some punchy print to your look. I promise it'll brighten up your outfit and your mood! I'm always guilty of sticking to greys and blacks, but this season I've promised myself that I'll brighten up. A bolder, better, more confident version of myself, to go with my new outfit choices. It's my last year of uni and I'm determined to enjoy it, regardless of what's going on in my little world.

Yep so that's me, a paragraph of clothing reviews and cryptic messages after a month of silence, but if you've been a long time reader, what did you expect? 

All my love and the promise that more blog posts will appear very soon.

Keeping toasty!

Jumper: H&M (charity shop)// Skirt: River Island// Boots: Carvela// Coat: Dorothy Perkins (old)//
Bag: Mulberry// Necklace: ASOS

It was my last proper day at home on Saturday before uni starts again, so I thought I'd take some pics of what I wore, consids it was my first day in actual clothes, rather than pjs or the aptly named 'lounge-wear.'

Those of you who follow me on twitter will have seen me moaning about getting viral tonsillitis the minute I arrived back in the U.K, which meant I spent the last week of my hols in bed watching daytime TV. It was really dull and not something I want to repeat anytime soon, especially because I missed blogging.

Anyhoo, it was pretty nippy on Saturday when the parents and I ventured to Chester for an hour or two, so I popped on my newest charity shop purchase, this gorgeous cable-knit H&M jumper for the measly price of £4! Textures have been a pretty big deal this year, with the coolest kids mixing up textures rather than prints and styles, so I thought I'd have a go, teaming my jumper with my dip hem leather RI skirt.

My fur coat was perfect to wear on top - I find my parka is waaay to warm when you're moving from shop to shop, so this little fur number had an outing for a change and I was so made up with it that it's come back to uni with me!

Hope you all enjoyed your Christmas break and I'll be posting soon with a review of a fab little company, Nature's Health Box!

Cinnamon sticks and candy canes...

Jumper: TK Maxx// Jacket: Jovonnista//Leggings: Store TwentyOne//
Bag: Vintage// Shoes: River Island

Yes lovelies, winter is upon us! I'm back in Lancaster for my second year of uni and let me tell you, it hasn't been half cold! I've brought a fair few jumpers with me this time (last year I was totally unprepared for the winter weather that hits the West coast - I'm nice and protected in Cheshire!) but when I stumbled upon this gorgeous knitted treat in Lanc's TK Maxx whilst shopping with friends, I couldn't resist a cheeky purchase pre freshers week! 

Although I found this jumper in the men's section, I have to stay it's a pretty feminine piece, with the berry detail and the grey marl coloured wool used for the neck and shoulder section! It's such a great piece teamed with leggings (and disco pants!) for lectures as it keeps you toasty warm (especially with my gorgeous Topshop parka on top) when outside and can be layered up and pulled off when in class. 

This look is a pretty simple one, with my trusty spiked ballet flats, black leggings and leather jacket, which I won in a Jovonnista, London comp a while back! I have to admit that the finished product isn't very adventurous, but it's something you can throw on when your stuck for outfit ideas and running late for the bus!

Again, the picture quality is terrible - I'm gonna have to get the boyf to pop round during the day and take some photos for me, so I can only apologise once more and blame the hectic first week of uni I've had (they really don't give you a break in second year!) 

Anyhow, off to watch Downton Abbey and paint my nails - cannot wait for a bit of 'me time.' Hope you all had wonderful weekends and hope you keep a lookout for an exciting post which I should have up by next week. 

TTFN (ta-ta for now)

Style Watch: Next - My favourite catwalk pieces

As Autumn draws ever-nearer and the-summer-that-never-was fades into obscurity, I thought it was about time that I popped onto the Next website to see what little gems I could dig up.

Over the summer I've been working as a temporary Sales Assistant in a Next store and ALWAYS find something that I want to buy every time I have a shift! However, my store is only little, so we don't have access to all the lovely clothes in the Next ranges (which is a good thing for my bank balance!), so every few weeks I have a browse on the website so see what I'm missing out on!  

This time I thought I'd set myself a challenge; to pick out the top four items from the website that would take any girl through Autumn/Winter 2012 which hit the big catwalk trends. So here they are! A total mix of items, from a peplum top to a pencil skirt all for under £100. 

The trench coat is bang on for A/W, following the craze for military-inspired pieces. The coat is well structured and a classic design, something akin to the coats seen at Burberry. With a timeless style like this, it's easy to keep up with currents trends but also have a wardrobe staple which will last for years!

Animal print, seen at D&G is my secret obsession and this gorgeous peplum really doesn't disappoint. Originally seen with Mary Katrantzou's gravity-defying dresses (S/S12) and included in on the A/W12 catwalks was the idea of accentuating the hip/waist area. Peplums are perfect for either emphasizing or creating curves! Leopard print in this classic grey and black is a perfect take on a trend which could be spoilt with garish versions of animal skin. 

After the newly-wed Duchess of Cambridge sported her pair of LK Bennett nude heels (a number of times!) The simple style has been big news. This season, the gothic, draconian style, which many argue has been inspired by the latest craze, 50 Shades of Grey (dear lord I hope not!), has modified this classic shoe adding toe caps and, in the case of Next, a seductive metal heel. These shoes are my personal faves, as the look like something off the catwalk for a fraction of the price. The colour also means they're suitable all season and into spring, adding a masculine touch to floaty florals.

Digi-print florals are out and the classic, retro fabrics are in! This skirt is bang on trend, with it's 'midi' style, which is very feminine (think Mad Men!) and it's gorgeous rose print, which again adds a little gothic edge. These prints are modified versions of the S/S12 catwalk collections; designers couldn't part with florals so adapted them with muted colours and pastel shades (think Lana Del Rey and Dirty Dancing!) This skirt is so versatile and a guaranteed bargain buy - this love affair with all things flowery will not be fading anytime soon! 

Hope you enjoy my picks and remember to visit the Next Website here, so you can have your own window shopping sesh! 

Next are also running a blogging competition at the mo - they're looking for a guest blogger for their own site and the winner will receive three outfits of their choice! for more info click here! Get involved people!